Renata Salecl: 'The idea of choosing who we want to be and the imperative to "become yourself" have begun to work against us.'

Several years ago, an American magazine editor named Jennifer Niesslein decided to iron out all the imperfections in her life. Using only the advice contained in a stack of self-help books, she set about cleaning her home, losing weight, becoming a better partner and parent and generally cultivating a more serene approach to existence. After two years of trying, she found that she was less contented, not more, and started suffering from panic attacks.

The Tyranny of Choice, in which this anecdote is recounted, has the outward appearance of a self-help manual. It is written in clear, user-friendly prose, conveniently subdivided every few pages by topic and it's short enough to be read in one sitting. It resorts to the odd generalisation to keep its argument on track. But that's where the similarities end. Salecl, a Slovenian sociologist, rubbishes the idea that a set of tips in a book, let alone a whole marketplace of books offering radically conflicting tips, can make us happier. The author casts an eye over the culture that has given rise to self-help books (they existed as early as the 17th century but their time is very much now) and points a finger at the ideology of choice, which, she believes, is at the root of modern discontent, and the industry that has grown up around it. "The idea of choosing who we want to be and the imperative to 'become yourself' have begun to work against us, making us more anxious and more acquisitive rather than giving us more freedom," she writes.

In a society geared towards the individual, and dominated by consumerism and celebrity, we are constantly encouraged to choose a better life for ourselves. The weight of each choice and the super-abundance of options can cause crippling anxiety and we defer to others to make the right choices for us. When we do get what we want, fulfilment is swiftly replaced by dissatisfaction and desire for a better option.

Salecl charts the effect that this consumerist approach to our lives has had on relationships, parenting and mental health. She argues that capitalist society uses the ideology of choice to keep the wheels turning and also to safeguard its very existence: if we're wrapped up in our own private desires, we have no time to think about choosing a new, improved way of structuring society.

She does offer a few constructive tips of her own in the final pages after digesting some lessons from Lacanian psychoanalysis. It's not the sort of advice that will guarantee you instant happiness, but by casting a clear light on our choice-saturated lives, it might just help alleviate some of that creeping anxiety.